The Community Policing Guarantee also includes new commitments to ensure local people are involved in setting local policing priorities, tough new sentencing for assaults on retail workers, tougher police action on shoplifting and stronger powers for local councils, police and courts to introduce zero tolerance zones in town centres to stop antisocial behaviour.

Cllr Tim Mander (Labour Westover) commented “Having worked in the town centre over the last 36 years I have witnessed the decline in behaviour particularly over the last 13 years of Tory austerity. Police resources have been decimated and lot of experienced officers have left. It is good at long last to have a government in waiting prepared to roll up their sleeves and tackle the issue of ASB which blights the lives of town centre residents”